Court Approves Google's Privacy Settlement

RegBlog: "A federal court recently approved the $22.5 million settlement reached three months ago between Google and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on charges that Google improperly tracked the user “cookies” on Apple’s Safari browser. Representing the largest civil penalty ever imposed for an FTC violation, the fine is the latest in a series of FTC enforcement actions for online privacy issues and is one that the FTC Chair Jon Leibowitz hopes will “send a message” to other companies to be more mindful of privacy issues.
In addition to the fine, the FTC also is requiring Google to remove tracking cookies from Safari users’ computers, ultimately erasing all tracking data by February of 2014. Somewhat controversially, Google was not required to admit wrongdoing and maintains that any violations were unintentional." 'via Blog this'

Data cops seek 'urgent clarification' on new Facebook advertiser plans

The Register: "Facebook's European operation is headquartered in Ireland and the company has already been in touch with the Irish DPA about the plans. A spokeswoman told us:
"We note that this is the consultation stage of their process and that until that stage is over these changes will not be tabled to users. We are currently examining the proposed changes and consider that further clarity will be required in relation to the full effect of some of the changes. We will be seeking urgent further clarification from Facebook Ireland and if we consider that the proposed changes require a specific consent from EU users we will require Facebook to do this." 'via Blog this'

Ericsson Files Patent Suit Against Samsung In The U.S. After 2 Years’ FRAND Talks Fail

Ericsson Files Patent Suit Against Samsung In The U.S. After Nearly Two Years’ Of FRAND Talks Fail To Reach A Deal (Updated) | TechCrunch: "The suit has been filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas — where Ericsson’s U.S. headquarters are located. According to Ericsson, senior management teams at the two companies have been negotiating for nearly two years after Samsung’s previous license for the patents expired. It said Samsung previously licensed the patents in 2001 and 2007, but after Ericsson extended an offer to renew the license for a third time Samsung refused to agree to the terms. Ericsson did not provide details of the terms — which are presumably more costly than earlier licensing terms — but did say the FRAND terms are the same terms as Samsung competitors have previously accepted." 'via Blog this'

Australian coalition eyes co-regulatory content kill switch

Internet co-regulation: Australian coalition eyes co-regulatory content ki...: Coalition eyes content kill-switch on social networks - iTnews.com.au : "The federal opposition is canvassing a co-regulatory proposal to fo..."

DE Act Costs Order: has Ofcom lost its sense of timing?

DE Act Costs Order: has Ofcom lost its sense of timing?: "Ofcom has proposed a schedule whereb the first notices will go out on 1 March 2014. Two ISPs [BT and EE] have told Ofcom that its proposed timing of nine months to get the notification systems in place will not be sufficient. Both make it plain that they need a further three  to six months as a minimum.
That will mean that the proposed start date of March 2014  is unlikely to be met. System development  would have to commence by next January   to allow the full amount of  time (12-15 months)  they say they need,  and that is unlikely to happen.
The  implementing legislation has to go through Parliament, as well as get approval from the European Commission, before anyone can begin  building systems. Ofcom has already put the Costs Order before Parliament,  in its haste to meet its own schedule. However, the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee, which carried out the first Parliamentary examination of  the Costs Order, has indicated that it has reservations." 'via Blog this'

Open public services, open standards

Vicky Sargent’s Blog Watch 10: open public services, open standards - The Information Daily.com: "In his blog in ComputerWorldUK, Glyn Moody, another supporter of the principles, suggests it’s unlikely to come to that, because of the extensive consultation on the issues carried out by the Cabinet Office and its ‘unprecedented efforts to hear all sides of the argument.’
The level of detail that the Cabinet Office has released, alongside the Principles, about the consultation process is, he says, ‘a clear sign that the Cabinet Office means business here, and that it is prepared to defend its work in the courts if necessary. The time and money that it has invested in this project over the last few years is also a token of its seriousness and desire to make open standards a reality in this country, and to establish a level playing field for government computing.’" 'via Blog this'

Russian Internet access barred as new legislation threatens freedom of information

Internet access barred as wave of new legislation threatens freedom of information - Reporters Without Borders: "Amendments to the child-protection law had barely been put in place last July when the Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament) decided to add the prohibitions on anonymizer and filter- bypass tools (proxies, VPN). According to the bill to amend the information law, filed on 21 September, internet users who continue to use these methods would face penalties ranging from blocking of their internet access to heavy fines.
The Duma’s deputy chair, Sergei Zheleznyak of the ruling United Russia party, told the Izvestiya newspaper that recent measures against “noxious content” on the internet are not the last of their kind; he vowed that the Duma would maintain its efforts along those lines." 'via Blog this'